The Scottish Conservatives have submitted a Vote of No Confidence in SNP justice secretary Angela Constance for misleading the Scottish Parliament and the public.
At First Minister’s Questions, Russell Findlay said she should be sacked for misrepresenting the views of Professor Alexis Jay over a grooming gangs inquiry.
To justify rejecting a Scottish Conservative amendment for a grooming gangs inquiry, Angela Constance said Professor Alexis Jay shared her view that a Scottish investigation was not necessary.
In September, Professor Jay asked Constance to correct the record.
In November, the justice secretary denied misrepresenting Alexis Jay’s views, but the professor then emailed the Scottish Government describing her position as “unsatisfactory”.
The justice secretary has refused to apologise or make a correction.
Russell Findlay’s motion of no confidence has already been lodged and has met the threshold to be debated before the Scottish Parliament.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “The justice secretary brazenly misrepresented a leading child abuse expert in order to block a grooming gangs inquiry in Scotland, then denied doing so when asked by journalists.
“She twisted a statement about England to deny victims an inquiry here in Scotland.
“She failed to correct the record and has not even apologised.
“We only know about all of this now because we’ve dragged it out of this secretive government.
“The Ministerial Code requires government ministers to correct any error at the earliest opportunity. Angela Constance seems to have broken it.
“John Swinney is defending a justice secretary who misrepresented an expert, misled parliament, misled the public and misled victims.
“How can victims or the public trust John Swinney and his justice secretary to deliver the honest answers they deserve?
“If John Swinney won’t sack the justice secretary, we will give parliament the chance to have its say with a Vote of No Confidence in Angela Constance.
“Grooming gang victims were failed by the authorities. They’re now being failed again by the SNP government.”